Extended caulking gun



May 19, 1970 w SUTTON, SR 3,512,684

EXTENDED CAULKING GUN Filed Nov. 7, 1968 INVENTOK Hoamr 6-: 5117mm 5?.

ATTORNE YS' United States Patent 3,512,684 EXTENDED CAULKING GUN Hubert Glye Sutton, Pensacola, Fla., assiguor to Speed Caulking, Inc., a corporation of Florida Filed Nov. 7, 1968, Ser. No. 773,999 Int. Cl. B67d /42 U.S. Cl. 222-327 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An extended in length gun for use with conventional cartridges of caulking compound and the like. The gun includes a handle and trigger assembly and a cartridgeholding chamber, joined by an elongated cylindrical casing within which a guide tube is mounted for receiving the pressure rod of the gun. The guide tube prevents bowing or deflection of the pressure rod, thereby assuring even dispensing of material when the trigger is operated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates generally to a gun for receiving a cartridge filled with caulking compound or the like, and which is operable manually to dispense material from the cartridge. More particularly, it relates to a caulking gun of extended length for reaching inaccessible locations, especially designed to provide accurate control over the dispensing of material from a cartridge mounted therein.

Description of the prior art Currently in the construction industry and elsewhere it is common practice to package caulking compounds and like materials within a cardboard or plastic cartridge having a nozzle mounted on one end thereof, and having a movable cup mounted within the opposite end thereof to serve both as an end closure and a piston for forcing the material out of the cartridge through the nozzle. The cartridges are designed to be mounted in a caulking gun, which is manually operated by a worker to dispense the material contained therein.

A typical conventional caulking gun is about one foot long, and includes a cartridge-holding chamber and a trigger assembly. Because of its short length, a workman using such a gun must be positioned within easy arms reach of the location where material is to be dispensed. Thus, where a workman is working on a ladder or short scaffold, where freedom of movment is limited, he must repeatedly move the ladder or scaiford to reach new working areas.

There is thus a need for an elongated caulking gun that would enable a worker to reach many working areas from a single location. It is the purpose of the present invention to satisfy that need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The extended caulking gun of the invention includes a cartridge-holding chamber and a trigger assembly, joined by an elongated cylindrical casing of the desired length, say several feet. An elongated pressure rod extends through the cylindrical casing, and has a push plate mounted on its forward end for engaging the cup-like piston in a cartridge of material mounted in the cartridgeholding chamber.

The rear end of the pressure rod, as in a conventional caulking gun, has teeth cut on one side thereof to cooperate with the trigger assembly, whereby the rod is progressively moved forward by operating the trigger. The trigger assembly of a conventional caulking gun is designed to move the pressure rod forward a predetermined disice tance for each time the trigger is pulled, whereby material can be dispensed evenly from the cartridge nozzle. However, if the pressure rod is elongated to several feet, and no means is provided to prevent deflections therein inherent from such extended length, the desired evenness of material dispensing may not result.

In the present invention evenness of dispensing is ensured by providing support to the pressure rod over its elongated length, whereby the piston push plate will move forward a predetermined distance each time the trigger is pulled. This support is obtained by mounting a guide tube concentrically within the elongated cylindrical casing, to extend fro-m one end to the other end thereof. This guide tube fits like a sheath over the cylindrical pressure rod, and effectively prevents lateral displacement or deflection thereof, while adding structural stability to the extended caulking gun.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a caulking gun of extended length, designed to enable a worker to reach many working areas from a single location and to be operable for dispensing material evenly from a cartridge mounted therein.

Another object is to provide means for preventing lateral deflections in the elongated pressure rod of an extended length caulking gun.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following Description of the Preferred Embodiment, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the extended caulking gun of the invention, partially broken away to show the arrangement of the cylindrical casing, the elongated pressure rod, and the guide tube for preventing deflection of the pressure rod;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the caulking gun of FIG. 1, partially broken away to show the connection between the cylindrical casing and the trigger assembly;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, taken on the line 33 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, taken on the line 44 in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, the extended caulking gun of the invention is indicated at 2, and includes a cartridge-receiving chamber 4, a trigger assembly 6 connected to the chamber 4 by an elongated cylindrical casing 8, and pressure rod 10.

The chamber 4 is of conventional design, and comprises a semi-cylindrical body 12 having rear and forward end caps 14 and 16, respectively, received thereon and welded in place. The rear end cap 14 includes an end plate 18 having a central hole 19 therein to receive the rod 10, and having a circumferentially continuous flange 20 thereon. The forward end cap 16 also includes an end plate 22 and a flange 24, but the central upper portion of the latter is cut away at 26 to enable a cartridge C of caulking compound or the like to be mounted within the chamber 4.

The cartridge C is of conventional disposable design, and includes a tubular body 28 having a nozzle 30 mounted on its forward end, the end plate 22 having a notch 32 cut therein to receive the nozzle 30. A cup-like piston 34 is fitted within the rear end of the tubular body 28 to close the same, and is movable forwardly through said body to push material out of the cartridge through the nozzle 30. The cartridge body 28 is shorter than the 3 distance measured between the end plates 18 and 22, and is held in place by the flanges 20 and 24.

The trigger assembly 6 is also of conventional design, and includes a handle 36 bent from sheet metal, the handle including an end wall 38 and a pair of parallel side walls 40. The upper forward edges 42 of the handle side walls 40 are welded to the end plate 44 of an end cap 46, and the handle end wall 38 has a bushing 48 thereon aligned with a circular hole 50 in the center of the cap end wall 44 for receiving the pressure rod 10. A trigger 52 is received between the handle side walls 40, and is mounted on a pivot pin 54. A spring 56 is mounted between the trigger 52 and the handle end wall 38 for biasing the trigger toward an extended position, and a pawl 58 is mounted on the upper end of the trigger 52 to cooperatewith a row of jack teeth 60 cut into the underside of the pressure rod 10.

The pressure rod includes a bent handle 62 on its outer end, and is rotatable by said handle 62 to position the row of teeth 60 in operative position relative to the pawl 58, or in a release position disposed 180 from said operative position. When the pressure rod 10 is in its operative position, the teeth 60 and the pawl 58 Will cooperate to move or jack the pressure rod 10 forwardly a given distance for each depression of the trigger 52. When the pressure rod 10 is then turned to its release position, the teeth 60 are disengaged from the pawl 58 and the rod 10 can be retracted or moved rearwardly.

The trigger assembly 6 is connected to the cartridgereceiving chamber 4 by the elongated tubular casing 8, said casing being of whatever length desired, say several feet, to permit a Workman to reach numerous work areas from a single location, or to reach elevated work areas while standing on the ground. One end of the casing 8 is received within a flange 64 on the end cap 46, and is welded at 66 to the end plate 44 of said cap. Theother end of the casing 8 is welded at 68 to the end plate 18 of the cap 14.

The pressure rod 10 must have a length chosen to cooperate with the lengthof the casing 8, and has a push plate 70 on the forward end thereof of a diameter to be receivable within the cartridge C. The teeth 60 on the pressure rod 10 are located so that when the rod 10 is retracted with the push plate 70 seated against the cap end plate 18, at least one tooth 60 is operable by the pawl 58. Further, the toothed portion of the rod 10 is sufliciently long to enable the push place 70 to be jacked completely through the cartirdge C.

As is clearly shown in the drawings, the casing 8 is at least double the length of the chamber 4, and the distance between the trigger 52 and the chamber 4 is also at least double the length of the chamber 4, so that the trigger 52 is remote from the chamber 4 and the chamber is beyond the normal reach of an operator who is manipulating the trigger.

In operation, the push rod 10 is first rotated to disengage the teeth 60 from the pawl 58, after which it is retracted until the push plate 70 is seated against the end plate 18. A cartridge C is then mounted in the chamber 4, following which the rod 10 is turned to engage the teeth 60 with the pawl 58. The trigger 52 is then operated to urge the push plate 70 against the piston 34.

Considerable pressure by the push plate 70 is normally required to cause extrusion of material through the nozzle 30. When the pressure rod 10 is several feet in length, as here, the resultant compressive force on an unsupported rod 10 can cause it to bow or deflect laterally within the casing 8 as the trigger 52 is operated. Suchbowing or deflection is most undesirable, and can seriously affect a proper material dispensing operation.

To prevent or limit such bowing or deflection of the pressure rod 10, in the present invention, a guide tube 72 is received over the pressure rod 10. The guide tube 72 has a larger diameter than that of the pressure rod 10 so that the rod fits loosely therein, and the opposite ends thereof are welded to the end plates 18 and 44 about the openings 19 and 50, respectively. The guide tube 72 effectively prevents any lateral deflections of the pressure rod 10 regardless of the length thereof, and thus makes the movements of the push plate 70 fully responsive to the trigger 52. Further, the guide tube 72 adds strength and stability to the caulking gun 2.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible, without departing from the invention as shown and described.

I claim:

1. An extended caulking gun for use in dispensing material from a cartridge having a tubular body provided with a nozzle on one end thereof, and having a movable piston received within its opposite end, said gun com prising: a chamber for receiving said cartridge; a trigger assembly having a trigger; a tubular casing of substantial length connected at one end to said chamber and at its other end to said trigger assembly, both said casing and the distance between said trigger and said chamber being of at least double the length of said chamber, said chamber being disposed in a remote position with respect to said trigger and beyond the normal reach of an operator manipulating said trigger; an elongated pressure rod extending from said trigger assembly and projecting into said chamber; and guide means for the pressure rod for guiding one end thereof for reciprocation relative to said trigger assembly and for guiding the other end thereof for reciprocation in said chamber, the forward end of said rod having push plate means thereon for engaging pressure rod extends through the tubular casing and additionally means is provided within said casing for limiting lateral deflections of said pressure rod when compressive loads are placed thereon.

4. A caulking gun as recited in claim 3, wherein said deflection-limiting means comprises a guide tube mounted concentrically within said casing and receiving said pressure rod.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,105,039 1/1938 Hulme 222-327 X 2,258,637 10/1941 Young et al. 222325 2,692,706 10/ 1954 Wiksten 222326 3,141,583 7/1964 Mapel et al. 222327 X STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner 

